SMOKING SNAKES – Danger Zone

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/smokingsnakesofsweden/ Yes, this is just what I was in the mood for today – a raunchy and fiery blast of sleaze metal with a raw edge and a lively atmosphere to it. Swedish delinquents Smoking Snakes recently released this eleven-track debut offering of theirs via Frontiers and it ticks a lot…

EDIT THE TIDE – Reflections in Sound

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/editthetide The upcoming EP titled Reflections in Sound by the British alt. rockers Edit the Tide is a real treat to the ears and a stately piece of work with its five tracks sounding absolutely immense and as pristine and powerful as possible. I recall listening to their first couple of…

COBRAKILL – Serpent’s Kiss

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/cobrakillrocks/ The German heavy metal/hard rock outfit known as Cobrakill unleashed their sophomore effort a couple of months ago via Frontiers and this 12-track slice of fiery fun is filled with adrenaline-fueled riffs, gang vocals, and a bad-ass attitude. There is no shortage of vigor and quality to this 80s-inspired blast…

CRAZY LIXX – Two Shots at Glory

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.crazylixx.com/ Swedish hard rockers Crazy Lixx are consistently good and never cease to impress me with their high-octane, glam metal-fueled brand of loud, anthemic music. Well-played, tight as fuck, and relentlessly entertaining sum things up rather nicely, I think, and those attributes and characteristics also apply to Two Shots at Glory.…

HONEYMOON SUITE – Alive

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://honeymoonsuiteband.com/ Alive by the Canadian melodic rockers Honeymoon Suite was an album that I had looked forward to receiving and reviewing, and the cool thing is that it did not disappoint. Featuring some superb guitar work, excellent keyboard atmospherics, a tight and energetic rhythm section, and not least a great vocal…

WOLFEN RELOADED – The Ghost from Within

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/wolfenreloaded/ This is my first encounter with the German rockers known as Wolfen Reloaded and I must say that I find this sophomore effort of theirs titled The Ghost From Within an engaging and delightful listen. Containing bucketloads of muscular riffs, magnificent vocal hooks, and interesting arrangements, the LP immediately stands…

JIM PETERIK & WORLD STAGE – Roots and Shoots Volume One

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://jimpeterik.com/ There are few songwriters out there who can top the legendary Jim Peterik (Pride of Lions) when it comes to crafting a delicious AOR tune filled with irresistible hooks. This instalment in the “World Stage” project sees him teaming up with renowned singers and musicians such as Kevin Cronin (REO…

JACK RUSSELL/TRACII GUNS – Medusa

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HBC3DZwjOaVS5TQEt7fwB Medusa turned out to be a rather uplifting and enjoyable listening experience to these ears – more so than many of the other Frontiers projects conceived by the label – due to the style and tone of the record having a cool, groovy, and seventies-ish hard rock vibe to it.…

GRAND – Second to None

RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/grandthebandsweden/ Swedish melodic rockers Grand are back with a new, pristine-sounding album that leans heavily towards AOR, which is no bad thing in my book, and I could easily see this outfit appealing to fans of Def Leppard, the Joe Lynn Turner-fronted version of Rainbow, and late eighties/early nineties Foreigner just…

VULTURE INDUSTRIES – 09.03.2024 – BERGEN

VENUE: Det Akademiske KvarterDATE: 09.03.2024 ORGANIZER: Propulsion MusicPHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context.   A concert like no other? You bet! The musically rewarding yet deviant purveyors of dramatic and carnivalesque avantgarde metal (or dark and dynamic…

THUNDER – Live at Islington Academy

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.thunderonline.com/ The fabulous British rockers Thunder have unearthed a cracking good and highly energetic live recording dating back to late December of 2006 when they played a surprise gig at the Planet Rock Christmas party, which took place at the Islington Academy in London as the title of the release aptly…

STATUS QUO – Official Archive Series Vol. 2

RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.statusquo.co.uk/ Few acts are as cool and entertaining as UK legends Status Quo are, and their latest output is the second entry in their inspired Official Archive Series appropriately subtitled Vol. 2. Captured for posterity at the hallowed 02 Arena in London back in December 2012, this one is quite special…

ARABS IN ASPIC – Victim of Your Father’s Agony (Remixed and Remastered 2023)

RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/victim-of-your-father-s-agony The fifth record by the magnificent Norwegian ensemble known as Arabs in Aspic, which originally came out in 2015, is an evocative journey through glorious psychedelic landscapes shaped by hazy atmospheres, doom-laden riffs, and epic vocals that never fail to impress me. Impressive actually would have been a rather apt…

ARABS IN ASPIC – Pictures in a Dream (2023 Remix and Remaster)

RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/pictures-in-a-dream This remixed, re-edited, and remastered 2023 edition of the otherworldly and all-enveloping Pictures in a Dream by the Trondheim-based prog rockers Arabs in Aspic is a proper musical treat and treasure trove. If you want warm and fuzzy guitars, 70s-flavored riffs worth dying for, and vocals that speak to the…

VALHALLA AWAITS – Perdition

RELEASE YEAR: 2024  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/ValhallaAwaitsband/ Hard, heavy, and crunchy-sounding rock with an abundance of passion and vigor to it is what you get on the upcoming album titled Perdition by the awe-inspiring British outfit named Valhalla Awaits, and the undeniable fact is that it sounds amazing and that the band a whole is really firing…

THE SURVIVAL CODE – Whispers of Woe

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.thesurvivalcode.co.uk/ Hailing from the glorious city of London and specializing in potent and emotionally charged rock that leans slightly towards Foo Fighters and Feeder, The Survival Code is simply a great band and an utterly enjoyable listening experience with longevity to it. Packed to the rafters with good riffs, infectious melodies,…

TEMPLE BALLS – Avalanche

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://templeballsrocks.com/ These feisty Finnish hard rockers never cease to amaze me, and their latest offering appropriately named Avalanche contains an abundance of hooks and thrills that will make you lose your mind and go wild. You will also find your hand and fingers reaching for the “Repeat” button again and again…

H.E.A.T – Extra Force

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://www.heatsweden.com/ Very few hard rock acts are as interesting and cool as the Swedish phenomenon H.E.A.T are, and Extra Force is the perfect illustration of why that is. Comprised of a couple of brand-new studio recordings (‘Freedom’ and ‘Will You Be’), some classic tracks by the band that were originally sung…

H.E.A.T – Freedom Rock (2023 Remix)

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://www.heatsweden.com/ Yes, this is just what the good hard rock doctor ordered for a dismal day at work – a brand-new and sparkling remix of the excellent Freedom Rock, i.e., the second full-length LP by Swedish legends H.E.A.T, which originally came out in 2010.   It should come as no surprise…

CARE OF NIGHT – Reconnected

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/careofnight/ The third record by the awesome melodic rockers from Sweden known as Care of Night is just the thing if 80s-flavored AOR gets you high. Everything here is easy to digest and instantly appealing, the production is pristine and oozes professionalism, and the number of hooks and catchy vocal melodies…

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